Coloring Books & Art Supplies We Recommend
Looking for something to color offline, want a whole book instead of single pages, or need to stock up on pencils and paint? Here are our picks, chosen for solid ratings, useful kit contents, and a mix of subjects and skill levels.
Prices, availability, and editions change on Amazon — each “Check price on Amazon” link goes straight to the current listing so you’re never surprised at checkout. These are direct Amazon links, not affiliate links.
Supplies We Recommend
Colored Pencils
Good
Crayola Colored Pencils, 36-Count
An excellent low-cost default for children, classrooms, and casual coloring.
Better
Castle Art Supplies Soft-Core Colored Pencils, 72-Count
A much broader palette, soft cores, organized presentation, and strong adult-coloring value.
Best
Prismacolor Premier Soft-Core Colored Pencils, 150-Count
Rich pigment, smooth blending, and an extensive practical color selection.
Editorial top choice: Prismacolor Premier 150 · Best value: Castle Art Supplies 72 · Best for kids: Crayola 36
Watercolor Painting Starter Kits
Good
Funto 48-Color Watercolor Set
A genuine all-in-one starter kit with paints, brushes, a watercolor pad, refillable pens, and accessories.
Better
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Pocket Set
Student-grade paint from a respected art brand, with 12 half pans and a water brush. Add paper and it’s ready to use.
Best
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Set, 36 Colors
Highly pigmented Japanese paints with a broad, attractive palette — for noticeably better color and presentation.
Editorial top choice for beginners: Winsor & Newton Cotman · Best complete package: Funto · Best paint quality: Kuretake Gansai Tambi
The Kuretake set doesn’t include every accessory, so it works best paired with separate brushes and watercolor paper.
Other Coloring & Painting Supplies
Good
Crayola Ultimate Crayon Collection, 152-Count
A dependable crayon collection with excellent color variety and an exceptionally strong review history.
Better
Sunnyglade 185-Piece Trifold Easel Art Set
Adds markers, crayons, pencils, pastels, paints, and a portable easel-style case — particularly good for families.
Best
Shuttle Art 149-Piece Deluxe Art Set in Wooden Case
A durable, presentable set with crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor cakes, a coloring book, and a sketch pad.
Editorial top choice: Shuttle Art 149-piece set · Best inexpensive add-on: Crayola Ultimate Collection · Best for several kids or a shared art area: Sunnyglade
Best Coloring & Painting Books for Kids
Ordered by rating and review confidence, with a mix of subjects on purpose.
#5 Crayons & Pencils
Bug Book for Kids: Coloring Fun and Awesome Facts
Insects plus educational facts
Also Worth a Look
Paint with Water
Wild Animals Magic Painting Book
A strong pick for younger children — the Magic Painting format activates printed colors using water and an included brush, no separate paints needed.
Best Coloring & Painting Books for Adults
A few watercolor picks are included ahead of some marginally higher-rated ordinary coloring books because they’re actually built for wet media — most standard coloring-book paper can’t take much water.
#5 Dry Media
The Golden Girls Word Search, Quips, Quotes and Coloring Book
Television nostalgia, puzzles, and quotes
What the Labels Mean
Crayons & Pencils Dry Media Paint with Water Watercolor Paint Included Watercolor Paper Guided Watercolor
So you’re never surprised: most coloring books are made for crayons, colored pencils, and markers only. “Paint with Water” and “Watercolor Paint Included” books are made to get wet. “Watercolor Paper” means the paper can handle wet media, but you’ll need to bring your own paints.
Coming Soon: Downloadable PDF Bundles
Downloadable, ad-free coloring page bundles you can purchase directly — grouped by topic, print-ready, yours to keep. Check back soon!